on Oct 29th, 2007Split pea soup
There’s something so satisfying about a hot bowl of homemade split pea soup on a chilly day, but so dreary when it’s a puddle of green puree, reminding me of Oliver Twist and his bowl of gruel.
Like everyone, I eat first with my eyes and that means more than color. It also means texture. Shapes. Even height when appropriate. So I do not pour split pea soup into a blender or immerse a hand blender into the pot to whirl the components into oblivion, like a split pea smoothie. That’s my preference and, of course, yours might be different.
This batch was made in a slow cooker although I often let it simmer on the stove for a couple hours or I go in the other direction and make it in the pressure cooker. Ideally, it’s made with a ham hock or a meaty ham bone. Bacon is my everyday stand-in. And for a vegetarian version, chunked portobella mushrooms are a good alternative.
Split Pea Soup
1/2 pound split peas, picked over and rinsed
3 - 4 slices cooked bacon, snipped
1 small onion, diced
1 stalk celery, sliced 1/4″ thick
1 large carrot, sliced 1/4″ thick
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cups water or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Croutons, for garnish
For a slow cooker: Combine all ingredients except thyme in the cooker. Cook on Low for 8 - 10 hours or on High for 4 -5 hours. In the last hour of cooking, add thyme. Before serving, remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings. Garnish with croutons.
For a pressure cooker: Cook bacon in pot, remove and saute vegetables in the bacon drippings until tender. If necessary, add a small amount of oil. Snip bacon into pieces, return to the pot. Using 4 cups of water or broth, add remaining ingredients and cook on low pressure for 15 minutes. Release pressure with quick-release method for your cooker. Remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings before serving. Garnish with croutons.
For the stovetop: Using a large pot or Dutch oven, follow method and liquid amount for pressure cooker but let the soup simmer gently, covered, for about 2 hours or until the peas are tender.
Serves 4
Royal icing & decorating
Looks so delicious. Almost, and I repeat almost, makes me want winter to arrives, with about a foot of snow on the ground.
Thanks for the vegetarian option. Very appreciated.
Copying and saving to my “ella recipes” file, right now.
Speaking of split peas, Ella - well, more or less - now he’s such a worthy Nobel Prize Winner, is Al Gore going to stand and split the Democratic nomination ?
In a nutshell, I don’t know. My gut says no, even though (like any canny politician) he has not flatly said he won’t and even though he came in just 5 percentage points behind Hillary in a recent, respected poll and even though the Draft Gore movement is growing.
I think if the front runner were someone less polarizing than HRC — and someone he liked more — he’d have ruled it out. He does seem to have a post-Nobel gravitas in the minds of some, but there’s also Gore fatigue. Name recognition cuts both ways.
Our primary is just 3 months away and I’m enough of a cynic to think he’s waiting for those returns.
@bbmaven - I don’t know why you got shuttled to spam, but you’re here now!
You keep that snow thought in your neck of the woods, okay? Soup or no soup.
Snow is a 4 letter word!
~”so dreary when it’s a puddle of green puree, reminding me of Oliver Twist and his bowl of gruel”~
Exactly what I knew of split pea soup for 5 decades. Declared I didn’t like it; even though I’d never actually tasted it.
Until the day I ate a bowl of my brother-in-law’s homemade; very much like your version.
Soup Heaven
Hi! That was me at #5
Hi, sage! Darn, I thought I had a secret admirer. (yeah, right!)
I think we all know that pureed version. Nothing about it appeals to me.
Good to see you!
Wow, the portobello idea is f’ing brilliant! And I agree about the texture. Even when I make butternut or curried carrot soup, I only put half of the contents in the blender, and leave the rest so that there are chunky bits mixed in. Something a tad noxious about the puree.
Ooh..curried carrot soup! Want!
I love portobellas in place of meat. They’re sturdy and have a great flavor. I use them a lot.